1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a case body with a front panel having a panel on a front side of a case body.
2. Related Background Art
Known conventional acoustic apparatuses for vehicle use of this type generally use case bodies with front panels as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12. FIGS. 10 to 12 are side views, partially in perspective, of the case body with a front panel.
This case body with a front panel comprises a box-like case body 201 and an operation panel 202 located on a front side of the case body 201 as shown in FIG. 10. An attitude of the operation panel 202 is successively changed from an operation state of being substantially parallel to a front surface of the case body 201 as shown in FIG. 10, to an EJECT state of substantially horizontally projecting forward from the lower other end of the front surface of the case body 201 as shown in FIG. 11, and to an OFF state where top and bottom as well as inside and outside of the operation panel 202 are reversed to the operation state as shown in FIG. 12. The operation panel 202 is provided, at its top, with a shaft member 203, which is guided by a groove 204 formed to vertically extend in a straight line on the case body 201.
The shaft member 203 is formed into a gear shape, and the operation panel 202 vertically moves while pivoting together with the shaft member 203. In the case body 201, a driving mechanism 205 is provided that transmits a driving force of a motor (not shown) to the operation panel 202.
The driving mechanism 205 comprises a first chassis 206 that is movable forward and backward with respect to the case body 201, a movable part 207 moving forward and backward together with the first chassis 206, and an arm 208 that is pivotably provided on the movable part 207 and pivoted by driving the motor. The first chassis 206 has two shafts 206a, 206b extending laterally, which are respectively inserted in grooves 209a, 209b of a second chassis 209. The movable part 207 has a shaft 207a coupled to the shaft 206a of the first chassis, and a substantially arc-shaped groove 207b in which the shaft 206b is inserted. The grooves 209a, 209b are formed to extend forward and backward, and the driving mechanism 205 (first chassis 206, movable part 207, arm 208, or the like) is movable forward and backward with respect to the case body 201. The arm 208 is rotatably provided with a gear 210, which meshes with the shaft member 203 and also meshes with an arc-shaped gear portion 207c formed on the movable part 207.
In the case body with a front panel, as the arm 208 pivots, the driving mechanism 205 (first chassis 206, movable part 207, arm 208, or the like) moves forward and backward, and the shaft member 203 moves downward in the groove 204 while pivoting, so that the operation panel 202 can be moved from the operation state to the EJECT state, and further moved from the EJECT state to the OFF state.
However, in the above described case body with a front panel, the operation panel is pivoted by means of the gear in the driving mechanism in the case body, which causes problems that the apparatus requires a complex structure such as where the driving mechanism has to be moved forward and backward to thereby result in an increase in manufacturing cost. There is also a problem that a space in the case body cannot be effectively used since a space where the driving mechanism can be moved forward and backward have to be secured in the case body.
The present invention is achieved in view of the above described circumstances and has the object to provide a case body with a front panel that achieves a simplified structure and thus reduction in manufacturing cost, and allows a space in the case body to be effectively used.
In order to attain the above described object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a case body with a front panel including: a box-like case body 1; a panel (such as an operation panel 2) provided on a front side of the case body; a shaft member 3 provided on the panel; a groove 4 provided on the case body and guiding the shaft member; and driving means (such as a DC motor 5 and a driving mechanism 6) provided in the case body, the driving means being actuated to thereby cause an attitude of the panel to be successively changed from a first state where the panel is substantially parallel to a front surface of the case body, to a second state where one end of the panel moves to the other end of the case body in a vertical direction to cause the panel to substantially horizontally project forward from the other end of the case body, and to a third state where top and bottom as well as inside and outside of the panel are reversed to the first state, wherein the driving means has a panel driving member (such as an oscillation lever 68) pivotably coupled to the panel via a drive shaft (such as a third shaft 68b) in a position remote from the shaft member, driving the panel driving member causes the drive shaft to move and also causes the shaft member to move in the groove to pivot the panel, and the groove is continuously formed with a first guide passage 4a guiding the shaft member so as to move the panel from the first state to the second state, and a second guide passage 4b guiding the shaft member so as to move the panel from the second state to the third state.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the panel is moved from the first state to the second state, and from the second state to the third state, the shaft member moves in the respective guide passages, and the drive shaft also moves by operation of the panel driving member, causing positions of the shaft member and the drive shaft to be changed with respect to the case body to pivot the panel. The panel moves differently between when the shaft member moves in the first guide passage and when the shaft member moves in the second passage, but the first guide passage and the second guide passage are continuously formed, so that continuous movement of the shaft member from the first guide passage to the second guide passage allows the panel to be continuously moved from the first state to the third state.
Therefore, there is no need for providing a gear that pivots a panel as is conventional, and no need for moving a driving mechanism having the gear forward and backward, thereby achieving an especially simplified structure and thus reduction in manufacturing cost. Further, there is no need for securing a space for forward and backward movement of the driving mechanism in the case body to thereby allow a space in the case body to be effectively used.
A second aspect of the present invention provides the case body with a front panel in the first aspect, wherein a guide passage switching mechanism 7 is provided that controls entrance of the shaft member into the second guide passage when the panel moves from the first state to the second state, and that controls entrance of the shaft member into the first guide passage when the panel moves from the second state to the third state.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to an operation in the first aspect, the shaft member does not enter into the second guide passage when the panel is moved from the first state to the second state. Also, the shaft member does not enter into the first guide passage when the panel is moved from the second state to the third state. Thus, the panel can be surely moved from the first state to the second state, and from the second state to the third state.
A third aspect of the present invention provides the case body with a front panel in the second aspect, wherein the guide passage switching mechanism has a control member (such as a second lever 71, a third lever 72) that controls movement of the shaft member, and the control member is driven by the driving means and controls the entrance of the shaft member into each of the guide passages in an interlocked manner with the panel driving member.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to an operation in the second aspect, the control member driven by the driving means controls the entrance of the shaft member into the second guide passage in an interlocked manner with the panel driving member when the panel is moved from the first state to the second state. Also, the control member driven by the driving means controls the entrance of the shaft member into the first guide passage in an interlocked manner with the panel driving member when the panel is moved from the second state to the third state.
This allows driving means for the panel to be also used as a mechanism for driving the control member to result in reduction in a component count and thus reduction in manufacturing cost. Further, switching of the guide passages by the control member can be synchronized with movement of the shaft member from the first guide passage to the second guide passage, thereby assuring exact timing of switching of the guide passages.
A fourth aspect of the present invention provides the case body with a front panel in any one the first to third aspects, wherein the panel driving member is oscillatably provided, and oscillation of the panel driving member causes the panel to move.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to an operation in any one of the first to third aspects, oscillation of the panel driving member reduces movement of the panel driving member compared to a panel driving member with more than one turn, and thus there is no need for securing a large space for movement of the panel driving member in the case body, thereby allowing the space in the case body to be further effectively used.
A fifth aspect of the present invention provides the case body with a front panel in the fourth aspect, wherein the panel driving member oscillates with forward and reverse pivoting in such a manner that the forward pivoting of the panel driving member causes the panel to move from the first to the second state, and that the reverse pivoting of the panel driving member causes the panel to move from the second to the third state.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to an operation in the fourth aspect, the panel moves differently between when the panel moves from the first state to the second state and when the panel moves from the second state to the third state, but matching the respective movements of the panel with the forward movement and the reverse movement in oscillation of the panel driving member allows the panel to be surely and smoothly moved.
A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a case body with a front panel including: a box-like case body 101; a panel (such as an operation panel 102) provided on a front side of the case body; a shaft member 103 provided on the panel; a groove 104 provided on the case body side and guiding the shaft member; and driving means provided in the case body, the driving means being actuated to thereby cause the panel to substantially vertically move while pivoting, and cause an attitude of the panel to be changed from a first state where the panel is substantially parallel to a front surface of the case body, to a second state where one end of the panel moves to the other end of the case body in a vertical direction to cause the panel to substantially horizontally project forward from the other end of the case body,
wherein the driving means has a panel driving member (such as a lever) pivotably coupled to the panel via the drive shaft 105a in a position remote from the shaft member, the groove is continuously formed with a first guide passage 104a guiding the shaft member so as to move the panel from the first state to the second state, and a second guide passage 104b guiding the shaft member so as to move the panel from the second state to the third state where the panel is substantially horizontally held in the case body at the other end thereof in a vertical direction, and a guide passage switching mechanism is provided that controls entrance of the shaft member into the second guide passage when the panel moves from the first state to the second state, and that controls entrance of the shaft member into the first guide passage when the panel moves from the second state to the third state.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the panel moves differently between when the shaft member moves in the first guide passage and when the shaft member moves in the second passage, but the first guide passage and the second guide passage are continuously formed, so that continuous movement of the shaft member from the first guide passage to the second guide passage allows the panel to be continuously moved from the first state to the third state. The shaft member does not enter into the second guide passage when the panel is moved from the first state to the second state. Also, the shaft member does not enter into the first guide passage when the panel is moved from the second state to the third state. Thus, the panel can be surely moved from the first state to the second state, and from the second state to the third state. Further, there can be achieved an especially simplified structure compared to a conventional structure and thus reduction in manufacturing cost, and there is no need for securing a space for movement of the driving mechanism in the case body to thereby allow a space in the case body to be effectively used.
A seventh aspect of the present invention provides an acoustic apparatus for vehicle use using the case body with a front panel in any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the case body is fixable to a vehicle with its front surface inward, and can hold a recording medium inserted from an insertion port provided on the front surface, and the panel has an operation section and a display section.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a space required for operation of the driving means in the case body can be reduced to allow a limited space in the case body to be effectively used, thereby providing significant advantages in practical use such as a larger capacity of the case body for recording media.